The past few nights in this windy city of Amarillo, Jason and I have been blessed by the fire that crackles and sparks in our beautiful fireplace. No television to turn our attention away from a marvelous act of nature, no distractions to keep us from watching the flames as they soar high into the chimney in an array of colors from yellow to orange to blue. No phones, no lights…nothing but the sound of our breathing and the awe-inspiring view of the all-consuming fire. I watched that fire last night dry those pieces of wood until they fell under their own weight and became nothing but dry ash on the bottom of the floor and I thought of God.

God is referred to in the Bible as an all-consuming fire, we should be worshipping Him with holy fear and awe (Hebrews 12:28-29) but we continue to get muddied up by the ways of the world. Like I mentioned in my video last night (go back and watch it if you missed it) that we get so entangled in ourselves and in our own sin and selfishness that we forget that we are supposed to be the light in the room for others. We lead by example and we follow the example of Christ. There is no other way. There is no sin that is ok for now!! We have to call things forth and start driving out the things that are taking out our friends and loved ones with the Word of God and stop counseling them! The Word is a double-edged sword that divides our soul and spirit.

God is an all-consuming fire.

When you take a look at what fire does to wood, imagine what it can do to our soul if we let it. I was thinking of Ezekiel last night in the valley of dry bones. What made the bones dry? It doesn’t say, but the bones represented the people of Israel and their sin…more than likely after the jealous, all-consuming fire of God swept through just as Moses prophesied to them (Deut 4:23-24). What makes us think that we are guarded from God’s judgement just because we (as a society) have conditioned ourselves to believe that it is ok to let things slide to the point of our eternal doom? The grace of Jesus is NOT greasy and cannot be mocked.

Because I have a pyrotechnic-wanna-be husband (lol), the fire in our fireplace last night reached epic heights and temperatures as it dried out that wood. The air around it became magnetized almost as the overwhelming heat rose through the chimney. It was the most beautiful sight to behold and I thought of the living water of Christ. It covers us and washes away our filth that comes from the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:4). We are baptized in water for repentance but the Holy Spirit of Christ will baptize us with a NEW fire…one that was atoned for by His death. And THAT needs to stay lit…and the only way for the Holy Spirit fire to stay lit is for us to continue to walk in it and show others the way to their own salvation. We have to keep setting the example to follow and become more like Christ, DAILY dying to ourselves for the sake of the building up of the Kingdom of God!

Let God’s all-consuming fire melt away the things that are troubling you, the things that are keeping you in bondage, the things that you refuse to speak out because it is so shameful…let it BURN away and then speak to your own dry bones and let them live again NEW then don’t stay quiet against the things of this world…you were brought here for a reason and a purpose…SHINE YOUR LIGHT…your dry bones can live…and so can THEIRS…Open your mouth and speak the truth…which is the Word of God.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 – The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lordsays: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

Matthew 3:11-12 – “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Just a normal night in this cowboy town as people fight in lines at stores to grab hold of last minute gifts. Tensions are high and people are in a hurry to get everywhere but all the while getting nowhere. The Christmas spirit is lost in the crowd of materialism and self-absorption. It’s a dangerous game that continues to intensify as the years go on without Christ at the center of it all. Our world is in a perpetual state of unbelief and we wear shirts that say “I Want To Believe” and those shirts are talking about a big huge guy in a red suit and not the Savior of the world.

So picture this…we are just driving along minding our business and laughing about our day as we traverse through the hustle and bustle of fast paced drivers completely unaware of their surroundings as they take home screaming kids who are on in their own lane headed straight for the “Naughty List” before they even get home to their own driveway. It is EPIC to watch and see the movement in this seemingly orchestrated crescendo as we circle the mall…then it happens…a near inevitable crash as we come upon a young gentleman on a skateboard in the middle of this cacophony.

Something inside of me says, “Warn him.” We obeyed…begrudgingly…and rolled the window down to have a conversation with this teenage rebel without a cause. What happened next was the personification of the world and its attitude toward prophecy in this day and age.

Our words, “Son, you might want to consider getting yourself a vest. We almost hit you because we couldn’t see you in the dark.”

The young man replied, “People can see me just fine when they shine their lights in my direction.”

WHAT?!?!?!

“But young man, when lights are shining at us from the opposite direction, you are completely unseen in the shadow and you are traveling in the middle of someone else’s lane.”

The young man full of his infinite wisdom decided at that point to put his fingers in his ear and proceeded to yell at us…”BLAH BLAH BLAH!!! This is how I do it every single day! You can’t stop me from doing what I want…I am NOT breaking the law!!”

So off we drove, the warning was sounded and it fell silently on deaf ears…and we were saddened. I have three questions for you today…

1) Are you stuffing your ears because you are ok being in someone else’s lane and riding the wind behind folks in the shadow?

2) Are you the one screaming at the one sounding the alarm because this is how you always do things, you are perfectly content in your mess, and you don’t care to hear that you may be in the wrong?

3) Are you even willing to sound the alarm if you see a brother or sister acting foolishly to the point of their eventual, avoidable PAIN?

What is your excuse? BLAH BLAH BLAH…yeah…that’s what Jesus wants to hear…said NOBODY…

Dear friend, please take your fingers out of your ears, listen to the voice that is convicting, turn from your ways, then help others…PLEASE…don’t be afraid to speak TRUTH in LOVE…

Ezekial 33:1-10 – Once again a message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. 3 When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. 4 Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. 5 They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. 6 But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’

7 “Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. 8 If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 9 But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

10 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?”

Webster defines “character” as one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual.

In attempting to define my character, I am realizing that my attributes are my strengths, but also my weaknesses. God has perfect character because He is holy, trustworthy, and unchanging. He created me in His image at the beginning of time in order to love and hold me and walk with me in and through life. I was made to see God face to face. It was the first sin that cast us all out and made us different.

In defining my own character, I realize that my sins and my circumstances changed my character along the way to righteousness. I was born to live for God and to trust Him, so I believe God is refining me through the difficult circumstances I find myself in so that He can stretch me and further develop my character. He wants to see my capacity to trust and obey my Perfect Creator. I can’t walk with God when there are still parts of my makeup that need to be tested. I am reminded of artists who draw caricatures of people. They attempt, in a few short strokes of a pencil, to capture the true essence of a person. Most times we laugh at the distorted view of ourselves because we are covering up the fact that the artist hits the nail on the head. It becomes hard to look at our misconstrued faces which show a funny side to our inward flaws. However, this is no laughing matter. I have to constantly look at my real face in a mirror and say, “This is who I am, God. Please make me more like You.”

Here goes….me in a nutshell….

I would say that I am a serious individual. I don’t like games. There is a time for work and that seems to be all the time for me. I’m a bit judgmental and critical but the flaws I see in others are often a reflection of myself. I have a tendency to let jealousy and bitterness take root in some aspects of my life and it taints everything in an instant. I tend to be self-righteous and through that horrible characteristic I end up losing compassion and humility. I have major control issues. I’m known to be a tad selfish and very impatient. I’m rebuking all of those things right now in Jesus’ name. I can’t change what I don’t acknowledge.

Obadiah 12 – You should not gloat over your brother
in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much
in the day of their trouble.

How often, within my own character, do I misjudge and misconstrue the truth of what a person is really going through? How many times do I really (if I am being 100% honest) rejoice at the misfortune of my enemies? I am tired of living like that. Because I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE to be on the other side. Character is what we all should be working on. I don’t desire to be wiped out like Edom.

You can read Obadiah about the prophecy against Edom at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Obadiah

To further your reading, consider this from:

Romans 5:3-5 – Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

How is our character built if all we do is sit around in our jealous envy and judge others? That alone, is suffering if you ask me. We must be willing to go through those emotions without acting on them (even in our minds) if we are to develop our character.

Have you ever watched a ship sink? It doesn’t happen right away. Depending on the size, it may take HOURS or days for it to go completely under the waves. Imagine yourself, standing on the edge of a pier. From your vantage point, you see a ship out to sea that is about to encounter a storm that you know will capsize that ship and sink it. You have a phone in your hand and it is the ONLY lifeline to that ship. What do you do? Do you call in the warning and give the people that are on that ship enough time to escape the impending storm? Or do you sit idly by and watch it all unfold and see the people perish because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings? I was speaking to someone the other day about the beautiful burden of responsibility for not only myself, but for others in their walk with the Lord. So many times we DON’T tell people the truth out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings, and then we get our panties all in a wad when someone tells US the truth about our very own disaster coming in waves from the horizon. Does that make sense to you? Why would I be ok with NOT sounding the warning when someone’s ship is sinking but also not be willing to heed that very same warning when I am already under the water?

Ezekiel 33:1-11 – The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Why would you die? I used to think I was just strong-minded in not listening to spiritual authority, but that is not the case at all. As long as I am rebelling, I am going against all that God has planned for me. If my heart isn’t in it, then I am just being hollow and empty. Without true obedience there is no proper respect for the people around me and in turn for the Lord. I NEED the watchmen in my life to show me the way when I am and stop reacting so negatively or ignoring the warnings altogether. I also need to be bold enough to sound the horn when things are going awry. When someone is under my care, it is ABSOLUTELY my responsibility to show them the right way to go. If I don’t, I will be held accountable to the Lord for their misconduct. I don’t want anyone’s blood on MY head.

With covenant comes knowledge and with knowledge, responsibility.

You can read Ezekiel 29-33 about Ezekiel’s call to prophecy and the vision of sin and judgment at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Ezekiel

To further your reading, consider this from:

Romans 13:1-5 – Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

My decisions and my rebellion and my bad attitude affects EVERYONE around me. Jesus was obedient, and now I can trade my sin for His righteousness and stop being such a nuisance to those in authority over me. Joyce Meyer says, “Obedience closes the gates of hell and opens the windows of heaven.” AMEN!

I thank God every day for sending people my way who help me walk away from the plank and back onto to the majestic ship of the Lord!

God sees and knows everything. Nothing in this world happens without his permission. As those of us who live in the deep south recall, only 11 years ago on this very day, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in South Louisiana and Mississippi and the struggle of our nation was brought to the limelight as boats and homes were ripped to shreds, waters flooded up to 12 miles from beaches, people were left stranded to fend for themselves with no water, food, gasoline, or electricity for hundreds of miles inland, and heads of state did nothing but point fingers as people perished. The evil of that day did not come from the storm, but from the enemy of our land who twisted everything then ducked for cover and the citizens of the world were left attacking one other and calling one another names. In the physical, everything was falling apart, but in the spiritual, a new war was waging and satan was having a hey-day.

We want to think that satan is some ugly thing walking around with a pitchfork, red skin, and horns, but please read the following scripture to see exactly what happened with the “morning star”, Lucifer, the “bringer of the dawn.” If we don’t recognize our adversary, how are we to wage war against him when he attacks?

Ezekiel 28:12-19 – “‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”

You and I are engaged in a cosmic battle of epic proportions. We know we are facing a real opponent because this world bears the bloody, painful scars of this conflict: wars, genocide, hate, shattered lives, broken homes, suicide, rape, abuse, addictions, and immorality of every kind, not to mention storms that wreak havoc, kill people, and turn neighbors against one another when the hands that are supposed to reach out to help are not there. We must be careful as we walk through tragedy to see who the real culprit is behind our anger and injustice.

You can read Ezekiel 25-28 about Ezekiel’s call to prophecy and the vision of sin and judgment at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Ezekiel

To further your reading, consider this from:

Isaiah 14:12-15 – How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.

We must be careful what we let in, not only to our physical homes, but our spiritual homes as well. The devil doesn’t come in with a red cape and pointy horns. He comes in looking like everything you ever wished for. My heart breaks for those who had to pay the price for the injustice after Katrina. My heart breaks for the ones whose eyes were turned from the carnage because of their own agendas and people’s lives were lost in the process of the blame game. My heart breaks for everyone involved in that tragedy. Never forget that our God is bigger and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He is BIGGER…never forget….

Let’s think back to Genesis and the story of Noah for a moment. The world was flooded with evil, waves upon waves of sin swept over the hearts of those who once loved God. Adam and Eve’s descendants ran rampart, continuing to choose the easy way out and life was a circus for most. But Noah, he walked faithfully with God. Was he without sin? Absolutely not. In fact, he got plastered one day because of the overwhelming circumstances surrounding him and passed out naked in a cave only to be ridiculed by his son. However, his obedience to long term commitment changed the course of all creation, because he did ALL that the Lord commanded him.

Do you think his neighbors laughed at him? Do you think he may have faced opposition while preparing food and building rooms on a massive ship where there was no water that would hold a remnant of all living creatures? Do you think he completely understood his calling, sometimes to the point of even questioning God?

Ezekiel 24:16-18 – “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

What about Ezekiel? God told him point blank that he would soon lose something very precious to him carrying with it the same sense of tragedy that had befallen on Noah and the rest of the world. Ezekiel had to deal with his tragedy and lead the Israelites by example. Ezekiel’s loss, like many of our very own losses today, was deep and painful, but God used it to bring glory to the Kingdom, to direct others to the throne of grace.

God doesn’t call us to “easy”, He calls us to “worth it”.

Are we really listening? Are we doing ALL that He commanded us to do?

Look people, look around you! Take a look at the wasteland, the hungry, the poor. Open your eyes to the deception, the fear, the hopelessness. STOP PRETENDING THAT IT DOESN’T EXIST!! We live in a fallen, broken world that only gets worse by the day. Are you willing? Are you ready? Can you lay aside all the things that SEEM to make sense and do the ONE thing that doesn’t make sense? Can you be the small flame that has the potential to reach the world? It may be that you have never been this way before, but God orders our steps! It’s up to us to STEP.

Put your name there….___________ did all that the Lord commanded…even in the face of adversity and heartache.

You can read Ezekiel 21-24 about Ezekiel’s call to prophecy and the vision of sin and judgment at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Ezekiel

To further your reading, consider this from:

Deuteronomy 5:33 – Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you,so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

How we handle current situations in our lives determines the possibilities of the future. Are we wallowing around in self-pity, or standing up and doing what God has asked us to do with a quiet and humble heart?

From my journal entry 7/1/14 – God sees me in terms of what I will become and not just what I am right now. Right now I am an emotional, guilt-ridden, shameful woman in the shape of a lump of clay. God see me differently and that became evident as I sat and listened to His voice. The Tilghman’s came today. I love them so very much and I was so grateful to be held by them, spiritually and physically, especially after this relapse that landed me back in the padded chair at my beloved home called Jacob’s Well. We had an opportunity to chit-chat about everything that took place prior to my going back to the street. There were a lot of tears, then the Lord came in. As I was sitting in an attitude of prayer, I began to feel squeezed. I felt the pressure from all sides as if in a cocoon. I was surrounded by darkness and regardless of the pressure I was feeling, I felt safe. There was a constant “whooshing sound” that calmed my nerves as the pressure on my body increased. The Glory of the Lord was coming through in a magnificent light up and to my left in a small crack that permeated the darkness of my quiet cell of existence. I was ok. I was safe. I was secure. And I was perfectly content even though the squeezing of every muscle in my body was almost too much to bear. Before I could even express my discomfort, the words, “Be still, be quiet, rest, you are my beautiful teacup”, came flashing through my spirit. At that exact moment, without knowing at all what was taking place in the spiritual realms around me, Pastor Tilghman spoke up and read something to me as the words of my Lord were still processing.

Ezekiel 18:31-32 (NIV) – Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked “May we see that? We’ve never seen a cup quite so beautiful.” As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, “You don’t understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay.

My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, “Don’t do that.” “I don’t like it!” “Let me alone,” but he only smiled, and gently said; “Not yet!”

Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. “Stop it I’m getting so dizzy I’m going to be sick!”, I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; ‘Not yet.’

He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then… Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the .” Help! Get me out of here!” I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, ‘Not yet’.

When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the opened. He carefully took me out and put me on he shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! “Ah, this is much better,” I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Oh, please; Stop it, Stop it!! I cried. He only shook his head and said. ‘Not yet!’.

Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering “What’s he going to do to me next?” An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful!”

Quietly he spoke: “I want you to remember, then, he said, ‘I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.”

I am being molded. I am in the fire. I will come out even more beautiful on the other side. The crack of Light was God checking on His masterpiece. I just need more time. I am here to be molded and shaped into His beautiful creation. He will hand me my mirror at the end of all of this and I will be able to catch a glimpse of the beauty in His creation!!

You can read Ezekiel 16-20 about Ezekiel’s call to prophecy and the vision of sin and judgment at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Ezekiel

To further your reading, consider this from:

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV) – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I have not been reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated. I am RECREATED and living a new life in Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling in my being! I have a new perspective and a brand new attitude!!

Once I got off drugs and to Jacob’s Well, the first thing I wanted in life was to feel something different. I wanted to do something justifiable for a change. I wanted to be a morally upright and decent person. I wanted to be RIGHT. But I was wrong. I was looking to myself for that change and it had to come from the Lord. I met Mrs. Lisa at Jacob’s Well. She was a devotion leader there and I slowly got to know more and more about her as she opened her heart to us. I can gratefully say that she is a strong presence in my life today, a spiritual mother to me and a dear friend. She came for devotion one night when I was still in residency at Jacob’s Well and my search for righteousness within myself came to a crashing halt. I was MOVED by what she shared with us that night and I will never forget it. It changed my whole perspective. I saw that my desire was selfish because I wanted to be right and everyone else be wrong. That isn’t what God wants…

My deeds up until that point didn’t deserve even a glance from God because they were so self-centered. I was doing things to be seen, to be heard, to be known. Not for the glory of the Lord. No wonder I wasn’t finding righteousness. I was stuck in the wasteland and the prosperity in my life was being hidden from me by ME.

Ezekiel 10:4 – Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord.

The Glory of the Lord is, in fact, the very presence of God. In my self-centeredness, I was walking around outside of His Glory and His Grace. I was choosing darkness over light. I was accepting of the sin and not accepting of the mercy. God moves in His people and His Glory saturates our being, when we allow Him to have His way. I want the Glory of the Lord to inhabit my temple!!

Guess what? The Lord FREED me from the one thing I wanted the most because of my sin and my selfishness. I wanted righteousness so bad that I could taste it but my sin was keeping me from it. And I didn’t even realize it!

You can read Ezekiel 6-10 about Ezekiel’s call to prophecy and the vision of sin and judgment at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Ezekiel

To further your reading, consider this from:

1 John 2:28-29 – And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

John is speaking about Jesus. If I seek FIRST the kingdom of God, the laws of man, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, then I will have what I desire!! I will do what is right because I want to please Him and no one else on this earth! I will seek to follow His lead and not out of any selfish ambition of my own. That is true righteousness in the eyes of the Lord!

I left Jacob’s Well Recovery Center for Women the FIRST time after graduation with the best of intentions. I was sold out to God and I was more than willing to follow His ways. Coming back was never an option for me. Then…life showed up and I was completely unprepared. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that God used people that I allowed back in (people who were not good for me) as His servants to get me back to where He wanted me, not in a physical sense per se, but spiritually. In the world, I had everything I ever wanted, money, a wonderful job, a little bit of fame, a beautiful home, and success; but my prosperity became a curse. Everything I did became a chore, even the things I was doing for the Lord and in His Holy Name. Troubles came but I did not let them make me stronger in my faith. I faltered under the weight of doubt, scrutiny, and fear. Then it happened…I was led back into captivity and I went without looking back. I was carried back into exile.

Jeremiah 24:1-7 – After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord.2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

I love how Jeremiah says what he sees in the physical, but our God is patient and He will show us what He needs us to see in the spiritual. He used my captivity to refine me. He knew my heart would survive walking through the fire. He knew every move that I would make that would lead me down the lonely road toward the heat. I sought relief but He made me wait. He would eventually preserve me and bring me back into His land and my purpose. He NEVER stopped loving me. He NEVER gave up on me!

Part II tomorrow….

You can read Jeremiah 23-27 about Jeremiah’s call and his prophecy against Judah at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Jeremiah

To further your reading, consider this from:

Ezekial 11:17-19 – 17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’

18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Even though I was far from home (mainly in my heart), God protected me. My external circumstances in my relapse did not indicate my standing with God. His love never failed. My new life given back to me when I came to my senses was only the work of the Holy Spirit, but I had to recognize it and repent of my sins.

I had somewhere to be recently and I stepped out of my creature habits and overslept. I didn’t even put on makeup to walk out of the house. My whole day was thrown completely off. I’m starting to doubt myself again. Exhaustion is setting in and fear is slowly creeping around the corner. Small compromises and BIG insecurities lead to destruction for this ole gal. I’m seriously recognizing the tools of the enemy and I’m fighting hard with all that I have against the familiar fight plan. I AM fighting…in MY OWN strength. Therein lies my problem. I am not totally committed. I am seeking security in outside sources. I am striving for personal gain….AGAIN.

Jeremiah 1:17-19 – “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

GET YOURSELF READY! Where is all the doubt and fear coming in? Why am I, or even you, listening to the lies of the enemy that do nothing but tear us down and make us feel less than? Why are we afraid to pray with people, to encourage them? God says He will command us to speak! But are we speaking? Or are we just listening to the junk between our ears? My help comes from the Lord and from Him ONLY, so what is the real problem? I HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO PRAY….and I KNOW I am not alone.

Jeremiah 3:22 – “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.

On my face I go offering myself and my situation to the Lord. Sin is a deception, but I don’t have to learn the hard way. I have already done THAT. I feel as if I am stuck in a hole and there is no way out. Evil is there with me, taunting me, filling my head with lies and temptations, knocking the pictures down that I put up on the mud walls, pacing. I am uneasy, not rested, and full of discord. But there is hope for me getting out of this hole. I have to reach UP!

Backsliding is a dangerous slope full of regret that I REFUSE to go down.

You can read Jeremiah 1-4 about Jeremiah’s call and his propecy against Judah at www.biblegateway.com. What a testimony to God’s favor and mercy upon us all! Join in the discussion by posting comments or questions below and let’s do this together!! #ReadtheBible #bgbg2 #BibleGateway #newbeginnings #Jeremiah

To further your reading, consider this from:

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

It’s time to stand up and pay attention to this verse! I am at a crossroads, sometimes daily, but a CHOICE must be made as to which way I am going to go. God’s path, which may not always make perfect sense, or MY path, which only leads to destruction.

Find By Date

There was a time I didn't even know what to believe in other than the lies the enemy told me. I idolized all the wrong things and ended up making excuse after excuse in order to continue to check out of my self-inflicted, painful life that was created out of my own victimization, guilt, shame, remorse, and FEAR.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
I suffered from several selfish behaviors that had me bound for over 20 years. I suffered in silence and harmed everyone who loved and cared for me. Life as I knew it was a living hell. I was playing roles every moment of every day. I can say I tried, but to me trying means being inactive and complaining about it. I did a lot of that. I was always searching for truth in all the wrong places. And then it happened. He found me!! Jesus picked me up out of my brokenness and the only Being in the universe that has the power to save and the power to transform entered my life. His sacrifice for me allows me to wake up every morning and do everything I can to get it right, to continue to press on even when things are tough, to see the potential in every single thing I touch.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Today, I sit in victory over satan because of the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the cross. He died in my place so I could be set free!
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
The battle is still raging around me, but I am safe in the storm. I came into the world free and intend to leave the same way. The Lord is using my test as a Testimony to His saving grace and I want to give a voice to those suffering in silence. He is bringing it all back around for His glory! I am Coming Full Circle and this is my journey.